We are living in a small community only ten kilometers outside of the city. And yet we can walk five hundred meters from our house and be amidst orchard trails and open space ideal for hiking and biking. My ultrarunning husband is in heaven, able to connect 30km of paths and trails from our doorstep.

While my mileage might not be so ambitious, I love getting out to walk on these dirt roads and paths. Looking out over the rolling hills at the uninterrupted view, my sense of time changes. The expansive view seems to call forth the expansion of time.

The landscape remains ever present to the moment. A moth flits by, a few leaves rustle in the breeze. All remains steady and present in the strong sunshine of the dry, summer day.

The expansive view, the expansiveness of time, my lungs expand in recognition, and my breath is deep.

In the stillness of my surroundings, I find the expansive space on the inside. I can feel the inner terrain fleshing itself out - rocky paths, hidden trails, silent pools and gurgling streams. It is all present within me as it is without.

Here I can move at the pace of nature, noticing the texture of moss, the ripples made by bugs skating across the water. Here, there is more space for reflection before reaction, more time for contemplation before critique.

Life is not always this quiet, this spacious. Busy-ness has a habit of creeping in and attention to intention can lapse.

For this moment, however, I sit in the quiet, half-lit morning and feel the breeze brush over my skin. I let my attention linger here. Where else is there to be?

What is your relationship to stillness? What is the impact of stopping to notice what is here?​

Jessica Curtis is a professional coach who helps people cultivate intention and live from a place of meaning and authenticity. If you think you could benefit from working with Jessica or want to invite her to work with your group, reach out to start a conversation.